The day after our seven days of enjoying some free time in the Atto Union, we headed to our next destination, the Crimson Empire.
I’ve been flying around the Atto Union (literally) for the past seven days, but if we’re just going from Estia Kingdom to the Crimson Empire, we only need to cross two countries, the Rigant Principality and the Narnka Kingdom. The last place we went during our free time was the royal capital of Narnka Kingdom, so we only need to cross three villages to the east to reach the Crimson Kingdom.
I’ll call Rouge and Minerva, who will show us around the Crimson Empire, once we stop at the last village. Therefore, it’s currently the usual members, which are me, Sakura, Dora, Mio, Maria, Sera, and the hidden Tamo-san; plus 1 extra.
If we had limited time, we could use the magic item, Nosferatu, so as to not waste time travelling. However, since there’s no time limit for this trip to the Crimson Empire, we go slowly with a horse-drawn carriage. Personally, I like travelling slowly in a carriage.
Come to think of it, we haven’t ridden in a carriage for a while since Estia Kingdom. We didn’t need a carriage while dungeon diving, and when I was free, I flew in the sky to prioritise speed… My bad, horse.
By the way, the coachman isn’t Maria… but the recently-joined Aisha. Her skill set can be summed up in the single phrase, “monster and beast specialist”, and when it comes to her “Horse Riding” skill, hers is higher than Maria’s. After we told the chief maid Lucia that we would be travelling by carriage, she suggested that Aisha be the coachman. If possible, she’d like Maria to devote herself to protecting me. So overprotective…
“To use an A-Rank adventurer like me as a coachman, what a master you are…”
“Are you dissatisfied?”
Maria asks a question with a murderous aura to Aisha, who mumbled while driving the carriage.
“Tha-, that’s not what I meant. I’m an A-Rank adventurer, you know? I think it’s more useful to have me fight than have me be a coachman.”
Frightened by Maria’s murderous aura, she answered with her legs shaking.
“But didn’t you say the maids beat you to a pulp in the mock battle?”
“Ugh! The maids there are too strong…”
Aisha crumbles under Mio’s cruel words. It seems like they had a mock battle. Of course, it was Aisha who lost. The fact that the carriage is still moving forward after she crumbled is impressive…
“In the first place, you’re a monster tamer, so you’re not that good at direct combat, right?”
Aisha’s monster followers were wiped out when she lost the battle against the Giant Man-Eater, and now there is nothing she can do, except fight directly.
“So, that’s why you’re having her be the coachman?”
“It can’t be helped when you say it like that…”
“You’re free to do as you please when you’re not being a coachman, so during that time, increase your monster followers so that you can call yourself a monster tamer.”
“I guess you’re right…”
As expected, with zero monster followers, it’s impossible to call yourself a monster tamer.
“But aren’t Master’s monster followers a bit overwhelming? I’ve never seen so many rare ones in a row before…”
“That’s because it’s Master.”
“That’s right.”
“Is that so…”
“It’s natural for Jin-sama.”
“Yep~!”
…Is it fine to think that they just trust me?
…Don’t they think that what I’ve done is strange?
“Although I tame monsters, I’m not a ‘monster tamer’.”
“Seems like it. Master doesn’t seem to be the type to use monsters directly in combat to do anything, so I think my kind of ‘monster tamer’ has a slightly different meaning.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m not interested in Aisha’s direct use of them.”
“Is that so? Well, the simplest way of using them is as mounts. I used to ride one whenever I travelled.”
As the name implies, a mount is a monster that you ride. It has almost the same purpose as a horse, and it’s not limited to monsters. However, monsters are stronger than horses and other beasts, so those who can tame monsters generally choose to do so. (ED: mount in Japanese can translate directly as horseman + beast, so, in other words, the animal a horseman rides. Please ignore the fact that it should usually have been a horse)
Come to think of it, I may have once cut off the sea serpent Maple as she was telling me she could be a mount for land, sea and even air.
“Oh, you’re talking about mounts now? I’m interested because Mio-chan has a wolf monster follower that can also be a mount.”
“When Mio-san got on Potechi, he couldn’t move around, you know?”
“Well, yeah… because he’s so weak.”
Mio was trying to ride her wolf monster follower while shooting with a bow. You could say it’s a variant of horseback archery. Or maybe it’s like hunters. However, with Mio riding him, Potechi couldn’t move quickly enough, so unfortunately the idea was shelved.
“I’ve tamed wolf-type monsters before, and I’ve used them as mounts.”
“Really? How was it?”
Aisha has tamed many monsters till now, and so it seems she can give various pieces of advice.
“In the end, I think the problem is that they’re not a race that’s suited to carrying people around. The fact that they’re so good at fighting is attractive, though.”
“… I wonder if I can do something to raise Potechi’s status a little more?”
“But if you tell him him fight monsters, he’ll resist with all his might, won’t he?”
“Well, yeah… because he’s so weak.”
By defeating monsters, their status will be distributed by Give or Take. Of course, some of them increase muscle strength, so if you keep fighting, Mio will be able to mount him.
However, the stubborn Potechi doesn’t want to fight. He goes on walks around town (he’s definitely a dog), but never outside of town. It’s surprising that this was originally a wild monster.
“Maybe next time I should forcibly take him on an adventure…“
“Keep it in moderation…”
“He’s not used to it, so don’t overdo it.”
“Ok.”
He’s Mio’s monster follower, so it’s not something me or Aisha should talk about. Well, she seems to like him, so it won’t be that bad.
“Is Dora no good~?”
When I said that, Dora asked me a question. We can call Dora a mount, but even in dragon form, she’ll be a small Feather Dragon. It’s not the size you can ride.
“Jin-kun, can you fight on Dora-chan…?”
“It’s physically and mentally impossible.”
“That’s right… I can’t do it either…”
I researched Feather Dragons before, but once they’ve grown to full size, it’s still difficult to have someone ride them. Thanks to her strength and Flight skill, she might be able to force herself to fly while someone rides her, but then it definitely won’t look like a mount, but rather like animal cruelty.
“This child, she’s a dragon, isn’t she? And a Feather Dragon…”
“Oh, she’s a race that can be both a dragon and a person.”
“I’ve never heard of something like that…”
“You haven’t studied enough.”
“Don’t be absurd…”
Aisha didn’t know about the Dragonewt race either. The monster expert was surprised to hear about it.
Oops, Dora’s aspiration to be a mount is more important than that.
“Does Dora want to carry me?”
“Yep! That way, I can be with master more.”
What a cute girl she is! I don’t tell her that I can’t do that, but I pat her on my lap anyway. I’m healed.
“Ehehe”
“Jin-kun, I think you like Dora-chan too much…”
But it’s because she’s so cute. My child.
“But but, master. Don’t you think a dragon mount is cool?”
“That’s true. So, does that mean Mio wants to make a dragon into a mount?”
If you like fantasy, you have to admire it a little. Something like a dragon knight. Comparing that image with the Sea Serpent…
“Mm, not really.”
“Then why did you say that…”
“No, I don’t want to be the one who tames one, but I was wondering if I could ride on the back of a dragon that master tamed. It’s the so-called Princess Position. Although I know a few people who are princesses and queens…”
“A princess, is it… But I don’t like the princess of Eldia, and she’s the closest to what you’d find in a fantasy novel…”
She’s the princess of the country that summoned the heroes, so if you think about it, she’s probably the closest to being the heroine. Of course, Sakura and I both hate the Eldia princess.
“If only Dora were bigger…”
“When you grow up, I won’t be able to sleep with Dora, so is that ok?”
She’s my favourite pillow since she fits in my arm. It will be difficult to use her as a pillow like usual if she becomes mount-sized.
“!? It’s fine if you don’t ride Dora!”
“Ah, I see, I see.”
Dora easily changes her declaration. It seems she chose to be my pillow rather than be with me as a mount.
“Really, with you around, common sense simply shatters…”
Aisha sighed when she saw us.
We proceeded by carriage while chatting, and in the evening we arrived at the first village on the eastern side of the royal capital of Narnka Kingdom. I’m going to stop the carriage here and take a rest today.
Narnka Kingdom is a terribly centralised country. Even the first village in the east, the one closest to the royal capital, is called “Cold Village”. (ED: most likely “cold” refers to being so poor, that there’s no sign of warmth or life. Just my assumption)
For several years now, Narnka Kingdom has been effectively ruled by the Golden Fox, Tsukiyo, who has been slowly tearing it down. However, this centralization was the case from the beginning, regardless of what Tsukiyo did. Apparently, this is also the reason for the slightly higher toll to Narnka’s royal capital.
Now, let’s get back to the main topic. It was originally a cold village, but what if it was also exhausted from Tsukiyo’s policies?
“They really are on the edge of death…”
“Rather, how does no one starve to death like this…”
This was the impression Sakura and I had as soon as we entered the village. Simply put, there was so little food that they were all but starving. The villagers are visibly emaciated and not a single one of them looks healthy.
Meanwhile, one villager notices us.
“A-, a traveller just arrived!!”
“Th-, that’s true!”
“The food! Get the food!!!!”
When the villager noticed us and shouted, the other villagers around us started coming towards us in response. Maybe because they were hungry, I couldn’t feel the strength in their steps, but then I realised there were more than 10 people approaching us.
“Please stay away.”
It was Maria who said that. She jumped out of the carriage and pointed her sword, which was still in its scabbard, at the approaching villagers. As a bonus, it was slightly intimidating.
“I can understand your situation, however, I can’t let you approach carelessly.”
The villagers stopped a distance of 5m away under Maria’s pressure. For Maria, who is my escort, it’s a problem if I’m surrounded by people I don’t know. So overprotective…
“I-, I’m not trying to do anything bad…, I just want you to share your food, if you have any…”
“That’s right. I haven’t eaten properly for a few days. I can’t work because I’m too weak. I’ve got no choice.”
The villagers complain with sad faces.
Oh, I misunderstood a little. Even if someone is just barely managing to not starve to death, if they no longer have the strength to obtain food, then they’re just potential starvation victims who will eventually die of hunger. Everyone in this village is on the verge of starvation. Quite frankly, there is no future for them.
…That’s strange. Tsukiyo said that she adjusted it such that no one would die, but this village will starve to death if it was just left alone, won’t it? And it won’t be just one or two people, but almost all of them. Did Tsukiyo do something wrong?
A: No. Tsukiyo’s policy was to prevent starvation, although the standard of living would still be low. This situation is due to another cause.
What is it?
A: As I found out via the Map, there are bandits nearby. There also seems to be food that was stolen from this village.
Ah, I see, Tsukiyo didn’t consider the existence of bandits. Did those who struggle to eat become bandits?
A: No. It is a person who came from another country. Not a victim of Tsukiyo’s policy.
I see… Well, then, no need to hold back.
Of course, even if you were a victim of Tsukiyo’s policies, you’ll be shown no mercy as long as you’re a bandit. I’m not so naive or kind as to forgive anyone who, for whatever reason, chooses to be an offender. Well, they might have just been doing it to save their lives…
Maria seems to have no intention of negotiating and silently points her sword at the villagers. Well, she is trying to be my escort, and it’d be a problem if the escort ignored their master’s wishes and started negotiating.
We won’t get anywhere like this, so I step out of the carriage as well.
“I don’t mind. Fortunately, we have enough food to distribute.”
Naturally, the food is from “Inventory”. Most of it was bought by the maids from various places. Other than that, there’s also rice and vegetables harvested by farming in the labyrinth.
Incidentally, something put into “Inventory” won’t rot, so the maids are free to use it. As a result, “Inventory” is filled with food. Food is currently the number one item in “Inventory”.
“Re-, really!?”
“Thank you. With this, we should get by.”
“Bu-, but, how much can we afford…”
“Nn, the bandits should have taken it all…”
Apparently, they don’t have any money to pay for the food. After waiting for a while, one of them looks as if he has come up with a good idea and speaks up.
“Tha-, that’s it! My child, I’ll go get my child!”
“You want to sell your children!?”
“Even if they stay in the village, they won’t last long with all these people! There are bandits too! If that’s the case, we’d be happier if some wealthy traveller took them in!”
“Ugh…, you have a point. As long as there are bandits, this village is finished…”
Ah, it’s the same pattern as Cynthia’s group’s village. That time it was caused by monsters coming out of the labyrinth, but this time it’s bandits that are going to destroy the village. The way things are going, several children are going to become my slaves (feels quick). However, they’re not orphans, so I feel uncomfortable buying them directly from their parents…
“So, traveller, take my daughter as your bride!”
“Wha-?”
…it took a slightly different direction from what I was expecting.
“I don’t care if it’s as a housewife or concubine. A-, anyway, if you can get her out of this village…”
“I have a daughter too. I’d like her to become a bride, no, even a handmaiden.”
“Mhm mhm.”
“Wait, wait. The conversation is jumping around too much.”
This is getting out of control, so let’s just calm down. Aside from the handmaiden (≠maid), I don’t want the bride and concubine at all.
“I’d firstly like to ask, is there anything else you could use to pay for food?”
“No… The bandits took everything three days ago. The bandits took all our food and what little money we had left. The only people left in the village are those who are too hungry to move.”
“So you really need the food…”
For the moment, we have to talk about the bandits as if we don’t know anything about them. It’s annoying.
“That’s right. But even if we survive today, tomorrow it will be taken away again anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“The bandits said they’d be back tomorrow at noon…”
“They’re coming back again?”
Those bandits, will they come back to a village they attacked so soon? I don’t think they’ll be able to get anything good, so what’s the reason?
“Indeed… “We’ll come see how you’re doing”, indeed.”
“I don’t understand their reason.”
“Those bandits are crazy! They took food and money in the last raid, but they didn’t kill anyone or kidnap anyone! And yet they kill horses and destroy fields!”
“Mhm mhm.”
“They’re different from the type of bandits I know.”
Ordinary bandits have a motto of “rob, rape, and kill”. With that said, it’s certainly strange to hear that the villagers and women haven’t become terrified. No, I don’t mean you need to have a horrible experience…
“When I asked the head of the bandits, who I think is a boy, what their reason was, he said, “I want to see how starving people die. I’d prefer to see them go out by cannibalism.””
“Whaa…”
That’s creepy. Sure, if that’s the reason, I can understand the bandits’ actions…
Not only do they steal food and ruin the fields, but they also steal money and kill the horses so they can’t go buy more food. They don’t kill anyone so that more food gets consumed. That, and also to increase the number of people dying from starvation, I suppose. The more of them there are, the more likely they are to do something abominable.
I don’t understand it at all, but I’m convinced that’s how things are. His head’s missing a couple screws. (ED: I assume that this was meant to be a pun on the word “head”)
A: The head of the bandits has arrived at the bandit’s hideout in the adjacent area.
Mm? Why are you reporting such a thing now?
A: Because the head of the bandits is a hero.
…What?
A: As master would say, he is a “hero of another world”.
I involuntarily checked the map and was convinced by the name I saw there. I see, so that’s the crazy bandit…
Name: Sano Yuuki
Level: 38
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Race: Human (Otherworlder)
Skills: <Bow Mastery LV2> <Assassination LV1> <Stealing LV1> <Intimidation LV2> <Torture LV3> <Night Vision LV3> <Escape LV2>
Blessings: <Closed Circle+3＞
Titles: Summoned Person, Hero from Another World, Murderer
How extremely unfortunate, but after Kusakabe, who I defeated in Estia Kingdom, I also know this guy. Don’t get me wrong, we ‘know each other’, but we’re not friends.
Let’s list the type of person he is:
・Moved houses about a month before the hero summoning (not sure why)
・Knows a lot about horrific historical events and human anatomy.
・Has a hobby of collecting survival knives.
・Has a crossbow.
・Mumbles to himself while writing down the things he hates in a notepad.
・Never says ‘thank you’.
・Has a laugh that sounds like “Fuhihi”.
This should be enough to give you an idea of the kind of person he is. You wouldn’t want people to think you’re friends, now would you?
By the way, I’ve only listed the things that have been verified. If I listed just the rumours, it’d be five times as long as this. Considering that the skill column is quite disturbing (slightly like a boomerang), as well as the unnecessarily high skill levels, it’s likely that he did something similar in our home world. It seems that if you do something that corresponds to a skill you had in our home world, it’s easier to improve the skill in this world. Well, even if you ignore those details, one look at the titles section and you know he’s guilty…
End of soliloquy.
“Why don’t you leave the village? Isn’t this village quite close to the capital?”
“It’s useless. If we go to the royal capital without money or anything, we’ll die outside in the countryside without being able to pay the toll.”
“Mhm mhm.”
The toll for the royal capital, Narn, is currently 10,000 gold. With a few exceptions, this is the case even if you’re a citizen. It’s not an amount the villagers can pay after being robbed of their valuables by the bandits.
By the way, the toll to the royal capital will be changed to 1,000 gold. I’ve already given instructions to the royal court via the maids. Of course, there’s no way the villagers here would know…
“It’s been a tough few years in all the villages. You’ll only be kicked out if you were to go to another village.”
“We don’t have any choice. This village has to perish…”
“That’s right. Which is why I want you to take the children away.”
“At worst, even as slaves is fine. It’s better than dying in this village…”
We took a little bit of a detour, but it seems they’re still going to hand over the children as slaves. But still, I don’t want to force them from their parents…
“I understand what you’re saying. But let me think for a moment about taking the children with me. I want to stay in the village today.”
“Are you crazy!? What about the bandits coming tomorrow?!”
“The bandits said noon, right? We’ll be out of here before the bandits arrive.”
“Th-, then it should be fine….?”
We don’t know if the bandits will actually arrive at noon as they claim, but it’s not a problem since the map will let us know when they come.
“And also, you can rest assured. I’ll give you the food I told you about in the beginning for free.”
“Eh? Is that okay? We don’t need to pay…”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter… It’s like you’ve already given it to me.”
“?”
My last mutter doesn’t seem to be well understood. Well, it’s that. The usual.
<Bountiful Harvest>
Owner-controlled farms have increased crop yield and quality. The burden on the soil will be reduced and most crops will be able to grow continuously.
<Weapon Restoration>
Equipped weapons and armour will be repaired automatically (repair speed depends on the level). Complete damage cannot be repaired. Agricultural tools are also treated as armaments and are automatically repaired.
<Bad Luck>
Will have bad luck.
In a village with a population of 100 or less, as many as three had rare skills. If you think about it calmly, the probability is a little strange. … For some reason, I feel like someone just told me “you don’t say?”.
I don’t know if there is something about the location of this village, or if there is something about the lineage in this village, but it may be a village that produces a lot of rare skills.
Anyway, in exchange for food, I was allowed to copy three rare skills. Regardless of how it’s used, they’re rare, so it’s good enough for food. As a side note, I took away all the “Unlucky” skill points. It’s rare, but it won’t bring you any good.
After that, we distributed the food to the villagers who had gathered. By the looks of it, they’re going to cook outdoors. We also called a chef maid (who claims to have been there from the start) to work with Mio with the outdoor cooking. Needless to say, our outdoor cooking was the most popular. We just made porridge in a big pot though… (ED: the term “炊き出し” is actually translated as “emergency food distribution” in one of the online dictionaries I checked, but it felt like “outdoor cooking” was more accurate in the sentence. Still, “emergency food distribution” definitely does make sense, so please keep that in mind.)
Well, we’re eating too, but there’s another problem.
“Master. I’ll work hard to take care of you. So take me with you.”
“For cooking… I can’t beat her, but you can count on me for cleaning and washing.”
“Ma-, make me your concubine. I don’t have any experience, but I’ll do my best.”
“It’s hard to ask to be his wife with such beautiful women with him… She’ll have to ask to be a concubine.”
It’s probably because I said “I’ll think about it for a while”. Since a while ago, about ten girls from the village have come towards me and appealed to me. Perhaps their parents have told them to appeal to me, so that I take them out of the village.
A: That’s correct.
So it seems. It may not be a badger game, but it doesn’t make me happy to be wooed with ulterior motives. By the way, Maria chases them away as soon as they come near. (ED: “badger game” explanation on Wikipedia)
“Master is popular. Are you pleased?”
“No, I’m not happy if they’re appealing with such desperate expressions.”
Mio tries to make a joke of it, but I shake my head and deny it.
“Unless you really like them, we can’t allow a calculating woman to approach Jin-sama.” (ED: “calculating” is actually meant to be “self-interested calculating”, but that’s too long and janky.)
Maria nods as well. The girls who approached me all looked awkward. Because it was clear they were pushing themselves too hard.
“Well, their appealing will be gone once the bandits disappear.”
“The bandit hero is an acquaintance of yours, isn’t he, Jin-kun?”
“I’ll certainly say that he’s an acquaintance. But I’ll get upset if you treat him like he’s my friend…”
“That’s quite a statement, coming from master.”
“Ah. But that Sano guy had a very bad reputation, didn’t you know that, Sakura?”
I’m sure he was pretty infamous at school. Well, the really bad ones don’t get infamous that easily… In that sense, Sano is a low-ranked villain.
“I didn’t have any friends whom I could hear about others’ reputations from… There wasn’t any way for me to hear about others’ reputations…”
“…sorry.”
It’s difficult to talk about the previous world with Sakura. That’s strange. Normally, it’s supposed to be that she’s the best person to talk with about our home world…
The day after our seven days of enjoying some free time in the Atto Union, we headed to our next destination, the Crimson Empire.
I’ve been flying around the Atto Union (literally) for the past seven days, but if we’re just going from Estia Kingdom to the Crimson Empire, we only need to cross two countries, the Rigant Principality and the Narnka Kingdom. The last place we went during our free time was the royal capital of Narnka Kingdom, so we only need to cross three villages to the east to reach the Crimson Kingdom.
I’ll call Rouge and Minerva, who will show us around the Crimson Empire, once we stop at the last village. Therefore, it’s currently the usual members, which are me, Sakura, Dora, Mio, Maria, Sera, and the hidden Tamo-san; plus 1 extra.
If we had limited time, we could use the magic item, Nosferatu, so as to not waste time travelling. However, since there’s no time limit for this trip to the Crimson Empire, we go slowly with a horse-drawn carriage. Personally, I like travelling slowly in a carriage.
Come to think of it, we haven’t ridden in a carriage for a while since Estia Kingdom. We didn’t need a carriage while dungeon diving, and when I was free, I flew in the sky to prioritise speed… My bad, horse.
By the way, the coachman isn’t Maria… but the recently-joined Aisha. Her skill set can be summed up in the single phrase, “monster and beast specialist”, and when it comes to her “Horse Riding” skill, hers is higher than Maria’s. After we told the chief maid Lucia that we would be travelling by carriage, she suggested that Aisha be the coachman. If possible, she’d like Maria to devote herself to protecting me. So overprotective…
“To use an A-Rank adventurer like me as a coachman, what a master you are…”
“Are you dissatisfied?”
Maria asks a question with a murderous aura to Aisha, who mumbled while driving the carriage.
“Tha-, that’s not what I meant. I’m an A-Rank adventurer, you know? I think it’s more useful to have me fight than have me be a coachman.”
Frightened by Maria’s murderous aura, she answered with her legs shaking.
“But didn’t you say the maids beat you to a pulp in the mock battle?”
“Ugh! The maids there are too strong…”
Aisha crumbles under Mio’s cruel words. It seems like they had a mock battle. Of course, it was Aisha who lost. The fact that the carriage is still moving forward after she crumbled is impressive…
“In the first place, you’re a monster tamer, so you’re not that good at direct combat, right?”
Aisha’s monster followers were wiped out when she lost the battle against the Giant Man-Eater, and now there is nothing she can do, except fight directly.
“So, that’s why you’re having her be the coachman?”
“It can’t be helped when you say it like that…”
“You’re free to do as you please when you’re not being a coachman, so during that time, increase your monster followers so that you can call yourself a monster tamer.”
“I guess you’re right…”
As expected, with zero monster followers, it’s impossible to call yourself a monster tamer.
“But aren’t Master’s monster followers a bit overwhelming? I’ve never seen so many rare ones in a row before…”
“That’s because it’s Master.”
“That’s right.”
“Is that so…”
“It’s natural for Jin-sama.”
“Yep~!”
…Is it fine to think that they just trust me?
…Don’t they think that what I’ve done is strange?
“Although I tame monsters, I’m not a ‘monster tamer’.”
“Seems like it. Master doesn’t seem to be the type to use monsters directly in combat to do anything, so I think my kind of ‘monster tamer’ has a slightly different meaning.”
“Well, it’s not like I’m not interested in Aisha’s direct use of them.”
“Is that so? Well, the simplest way of using them is as mounts. I used to ride one whenever I travelled.”
As the name implies, a mount is a monster that you ride. It has almost the same purpose as a horse, and it’s not limited to monsters. However, monsters are stronger than horses and other beasts, so those who can tame monsters generally choose to do so. (ED: mount in Japanese can translate directly as horseman + beast, so, in other words, the animal a horseman rides. Please ignore the fact that it should usually have been a horse)
Come to think of it, I may have once cut off the sea serpent Maple as she was telling me she could be a mount for land, sea and even air.
“Oh, you’re talking about mounts now? I’m interested because Mio-chan has a wolf monster follower that can also be a mount.”
“When Mio-san got on Potechi, he couldn’t move around, you know?”
“Well, yeah… because he’s so weak.”
Mio was trying to ride her wolf monster follower while shooting with a bow. You could say it’s a variant of horseback archery. Or maybe it’s like hunters. However, with Mio riding him, Potechi couldn’t move quickly enough, so unfortunately the idea was shelved.
“I’ve tamed wolf-type monsters before, and I’ve used them as mounts.”
“Really? How was it?”
Aisha has tamed many monsters till now, and so it seems she can give various pieces of advice.
“In the end, I think the problem is that they’re not a race that’s suited to carrying people around. The fact that they’re so good at fighting is attractive, though.”
“… I wonder if I can do something to raise Potechi’s status a little more?”
“But if you tell him him fight monsters, he’ll resist with all his might, won’t he?”
“Well, yeah… because he’s so weak.”
By defeating monsters, their status will be distributed by Give or Take. Of course, some of them increase muscle strength, so if you keep fighting, Mio will be able to mount him.
However, the stubborn Potechi doesn’t want to fight. He goes on walks around town (he’s definitely a dog), but never outside of town. It’s surprising that this was originally a wild monster.
“Maybe next time I should forcibly take him on an adventure…“
“Keep it in moderation…”
“He’s not used to it, so don’t overdo it.”
“Ok.”
He’s Mio’s monster follower, so it’s not something me or Aisha should talk about. Well, she seems to like him, so it won’t be that bad.
“Is Dora no good~?”
When I said that, Dora asked me a question. We can call Dora a mount, but even in dragon form, she’ll be a small Feather Dragon. It’s not the size you can ride.
“Jin-kun, can you fight on Dora-chan…?”
“It’s physically and mentally impossible.”
“That’s right… I can’t do it either…”
I researched Feather Dragons before, but once they’ve grown to full size, it’s still difficult to have someone ride them. Thanks to her strength and Flight skill, she might be able to force herself to fly while someone rides her, but then it definitely won’t look like a mount, but rather like animal cruelty.
“This child, she’s a dragon, isn’t she? And a Feather Dragon…”
“Oh, she’s a race that can be both a dragon and a person.”
“I’ve never heard of something like that…”
“You haven’t studied enough.”
“Don’t be absurd…”
Aisha didn’t know about the Dragonewt race either. The monster expert was surprised to hear about it.
Oops, Dora’s aspiration to be a mount is more important than that.
“Does Dora want to carry me?”
“Yep! That way, I can be with master more.”
What a cute girl she is! I don’t tell her that I can’t do that, but I pat her on my lap anyway. I’m healed.
“Ehehe”
“Jin-kun, I think you like Dora-chan too much…”
But it’s because she’s so cute. My child.
“But but, master. Don’t you think a dragon mount is cool?”
“That’s true. So, does that mean Mio wants to make a dragon into a mount?”
If you like fantasy, you have to admire it a little. Something like a dragon knight. Comparing that image with the Sea Serpent…
“Mm, not really.”
“Then why did you say that…”
“No, I don’t want to be the one who tames one, but I was wondering if I could ride on the back of a dragon that master tamed. It’s the so-called Princess Position. Although I know a few people who are princesses and queens…”
“A princess, is it… But I don’t like the princess of Eldia, and she’s the closest to what you’d find in a fantasy novel…”
She’s the princess of the country that summoned the heroes, so if you think about it, she’s probably the closest to being the heroine. Of course, Sakura and I both hate the Eldia princess.
“If only Dora were bigger…”
“When you grow up, I won’t be able to sleep with Dora, so is that ok?”
She’s my favourite pillow since she fits in my arm. It will be difficult to use her as a pillow like usual if she becomes mount-sized.
“!? It’s fine if you don’t ride Dora!”
“Ah, I see, I see.”
Dora easily changes her declaration. It seems she chose to be my pillow rather than be with me as a mount.
“Really, with you around, common sense simply shatters…”
Aisha sighed when she saw us.
We proceeded by carriage while chatting, and in the evening we arrived at the first village on the eastern side of the royal capital of Narnka Kingdom. I’m going to stop the carriage here and take a rest today.
Narnka Kingdom is a terribly centralised country. Even the first village in the east, the one closest to the royal capital, is called “Cold Village”. (ED: most likely “cold” refers to being so poor, that there’s no sign of warmth or life. Just my assumption)
For several years now, Narnka Kingdom has been effectively ruled by the Golden Fox, Tsukiyo, who has been slowly tearing it down. However, this centralization was the case from the beginning, regardless of what Tsukiyo did. Apparently, this is also the reason for the slightly higher toll to Narnka’s royal capital.
Now, let’s get back to the main topic. It was originally a cold village, but what if it was also exhausted from Tsukiyo’s policies?
“They really are on the edge of death…”
“Rather, how does no one starve to death like this…”
This was the impression Sakura and I had as soon as we entered the village. Simply put, there was so little food that they were all but starving. The villagers are visibly emaciated and not a single one of them looks healthy.
Meanwhile, one villager notices us.
“A-, a traveller just arrived!!”
“Th-, that’s true!”
“The food! Get the food!!!!”
When the villager noticed us and shouted, the other villagers around us started coming towards us in response. Maybe because they were hungry, I couldn’t feel the strength in their steps, but then I realised there were more than 10 people approaching us.
“Please stay away.”
It was Maria who said that. She jumped out of the carriage and pointed her sword, which was still in its scabbard, at the approaching villagers. As a bonus, it was slightly intimidating.
“I can understand your situation, however, I can’t let you approach carelessly.”
The villagers stopped a distance of 5m away under Maria’s pressure. For Maria, who is my escort, it’s a problem if I’m surrounded by people I don’t know. So overprotective…
“I-, I’m not trying to do anything bad…, I just want you to share your food, if you have any…”
“That’s right. I haven’t eaten properly for a few days. I can’t work because I’m too weak. I’ve got no choice.”
The villagers complain with sad faces.
Oh, I misunderstood a little. Even if someone is just barely managing to not starve to death, if they no longer have the strength to obtain food, then they’re just potential starvation victims who will eventually die of hunger. Everyone in this village is on the verge of starvation. Quite frankly, there is no future for them.
…That’s strange. Tsukiyo said that she adjusted it such that no one would die, but this village will starve to death if it was just left alone, won’t it? And it won’t be just one or two people, but almost all of them. Did Tsukiyo do something wrong?
A: No. Tsukiyo’s policy was to prevent starvation, although the standard of living would still be low. This situation is due to another cause.
What is it?
A: As I found out via the Map, there are bandits nearby. There also seems to be food that was stolen from this village.
Ah, I see, Tsukiyo didn’t consider the existence of bandits. Did those who struggle to eat become bandits?
A: No. It is a person who came from another country. Not a victim of Tsukiyo’s policy.
I see… Well, then, no need to hold back.
Of course, even if you were a victim of Tsukiyo’s policies, you’ll be shown no mercy as long as you’re a bandit. I’m not so naive or kind as to forgive anyone who, for whatever reason, chooses to be an offender. Well, they might have just been doing it to save their lives…
Maria seems to have no intention of negotiating and silently points her sword at the villagers. Well, she is trying to be my escort, and it’d be a problem if the escort ignored their master’s wishes and started negotiating.
We won’t get anywhere like this, so I step out of the carriage as well.
“I don’t mind. Fortunately, we have enough food to distribute.”
Naturally, the food is from “Inventory”. Most of it was bought by the maids from various places. Other than that, there’s also rice and vegetables harvested by farming in the labyrinth.
Incidentally, something put into “Inventory” won’t rot, so the maids are free to use it. As a result, “Inventory” is filled with food. Food is currently the number one item in “Inventory”.
“Re-, really!?”
“Thank you. With this, we should get by.”
“Bu-, but, how much can we afford…”
“Nn, the bandits should have taken it all…”
Apparently, they don’t have any money to pay for the food. After waiting for a while, one of them looks as if he has come up with a good idea and speaks up.
“Tha-, that’s it! My child, I’ll go get my child!”
“You want to sell your children!?”
“Even if they stay in the village, they won’t last long with all these people! There are bandits too! If that’s the case, we’d be happier if some wealthy traveller took them in!”
“Ugh…, you have a point. As long as there are bandits, this village is finished…”
Ah, it’s the same pattern as Cynthia’s group’s village. That time it was caused by monsters coming out of the labyrinth, but this time it’s bandits that are going to destroy the village. The way things are going, several children are going to become my slaves (feels quick). However, they’re not orphans, so I feel uncomfortable buying them directly from their parents…
“So, traveller, take my daughter as your bride!”
“Wha-?”
…it took a slightly different direction from what I was expecting.
“I don’t care if it’s as a housewife or concubine. A-, anyway, if you can get her out of this village…”
“I have a daughter too. I’d like her to become a bride, no, even a handmaiden.”
“Mhm mhm.”
“Wait, wait. The conversation is jumping around too much.”
This is getting out of control, so let’s just calm down. Aside from the handmaiden (≠maid), I don’t want the bride and concubine at all.
“I’d firstly like to ask, is there anything else you could use to pay for food?”
“No… The bandits took everything three days ago. The bandits took all our food and what little money we had left. The only people left in the village are those who are too hungry to move.”
“So you really need the food…”
For the moment, we have to talk about the bandits as if we don’t know anything about them. It’s annoying.
“That’s right. But even if we survive today, tomorrow it will be taken away again anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“The bandits said they’d be back tomorrow at noon…”
“They’re coming back again?”
Those bandits, will they come back to a village they attacked so soon? I don’t think they’ll be able to get anything good, so what’s the reason?
“Indeed… “We’ll come see how you’re doing”, indeed.”
“I don’t understand their reason.”
“Those bandits are crazy! They took food and money in the last raid, but they didn’t kill anyone or kidnap anyone! And yet they kill horses and destroy fields!”
“Mhm mhm.”
“They’re different from the type of bandits I know.”
Ordinary bandits have a motto of “rob, rape, and kill”. With that said, it’s certainly strange to hear that the villagers and women haven’t become terrified. No, I don’t mean you need to have a horrible experience…
“When I asked the head of the bandits, who I think is a boy, what their reason was, he said, “I want to see how starving people die. I’d prefer to see them go out by cannibalism.””
“Whaa…”
That’s creepy. Sure, if that’s the reason, I can understand the bandits’ actions…
Not only do they steal food and ruin the fields, but they also steal money and kill the horses so they can’t go buy more food. They don’t kill anyone so that more food gets consumed. That, and also to increase the number of people dying from starvation, I suppose. The more of them there are, the more likely they are to do something abominable.
I don’t understand it at all, but I’m convinced that’s how things are. His head’s missing a couple screws. (ED: I assume that this was meant to be a pun on the word “head”)
A: The head of the bandits has arrived at the bandit’s hideout in the adjacent area.
Mm? Why are you reporting such a thing now?
A: Because the head of the bandits is a hero.
…What?
A: As master would say, he is a “hero of another world”.
I involuntarily checked the map and was convinced by the name I saw there. I see, so that’s the crazy bandit…
Name: Sano Yuuki
Level: 38
Gender: Male
Age: 17
Race: Human (Otherworlder)
Skills: <Bow Mastery LV2> <Assassination LV1> <Stealing LV1> <Intimidation LV2> <Torture LV3> <Night Vision LV3> <Escape LV2>
Blessings: <Closed Circle+3＞
Titles: Summoned Person, Hero from Another World, Murderer
How extremely unfortunate, but after Kusakabe, who I defeated in Estia Kingdom, I also know this guy. Don’t get me wrong, we ‘know each other’, but we’re not friends.
Let’s list the type of person he is:
・Moved houses about a month before the hero summoning (not sure why)
・Knows a lot about horrific historical events and human anatomy.
・Has a hobby of collecting survival knives.
・Has a crossbow.
・Mumbles to himself while writing down the things he hates in a notepad.
・Never says ‘thank you’.
・Has a laugh that sounds like “Fuhihi”.
This should be enough to give you an idea of the kind of person he is. You wouldn’t want people to think you’re friends, now would you?
By the way, I’ve only listed the things that have been verified. If I listed just the rumours, it’d be five times as long as this. Considering that the skill column is quite disturbing (slightly like a boomerang), as well as the unnecessarily high skill levels, it’s likely that he did something similar in our home world. It seems that if you do something that corresponds to a skill you had in our home world, it’s easier to improve the skill in this world. Well, even if you ignore those details, one look at the titles section and you know he’s guilty…
End of soliloquy.
“Why don’t you leave the village? Isn’t this village quite close to the capital?”
“It’s useless. If we go to the royal capital without money or anything, we’ll die outside in the countryside without being able to pay the toll.”
“Mhm mhm.”
The toll for the royal capital, Narn, is currently 10,000 gold. With a few exceptions, this is the case even if you’re a citizen. It’s not an amount the villagers can pay after being robbed of their valuables by the bandits.
By the way, the toll to the royal capital will be changed to 1,000 gold. I’ve already given instructions to the royal court via the maids. Of course, there’s no way the villagers here would know…
“It’s been a tough few years in all the villages. You’ll only be kicked out if you were to go to another village.”
“We don’t have any choice. This village has to perish…”
“That’s right. Which is why I want you to take the children away.”
“At worst, even as slaves is fine. It’s better than dying in this village…”
We took a little bit of a detour, but it seems they’re still going to hand over the children as slaves. But still, I don’t want to force them from their parents…
“I understand what you’re saying. But let me think for a moment about taking the children with me. I want to stay in the village today.”
“Are you crazy!? What about the bandits coming tomorrow?!”
“The bandits said noon, right? We’ll be out of here before the bandits arrive.”
“Th-, then it should be fine….?”
We don’t know if the bandits will actually arrive at noon as they claim, but it’s not a problem since the map will let us know when they come.
“And also, you can rest assured. I’ll give you the food I told you about in the beginning for free.”
“Eh? Is that okay? We don’t need to pay…”
“Oh, it doesn’t matter… It’s like you’ve already given it to me.”
“?”
My last mutter doesn’t seem to be well understood. Well, it’s that. The usual.
<Bountiful Harvest>
Owner-controlled farms have increased crop yield and quality. The burden on the soil will be reduced and most crops will be able to grow continuously.
<Weapon Restoration>
Equipped weapons and armour will be repaired automatically (repair speed depends on the level). Complete damage cannot be repaired. Agricultural tools are also treated as armaments and are automatically repaired.
<Bad Luck>
Will have bad luck.
In a village with a population of 100 or less, as many as three had rare skills. If you think about it calmly, the probability is a little strange. … For some reason, I feel like someone just told me “you don’t say?”.
I don’t know if there is something about the location of this village, or if there is something about the lineage in this village, but it may be a village that produces a lot of rare skills.
Anyway, in exchange for food, I was allowed to copy three rare skills. Regardless of how it’s used, they’re rare, so it’s good enough for food. As a side note, I took away all the “Unlucky” skill points. It’s rare, but it won’t bring you any good.
After that, we distributed the food to the villagers who had gathered. By the looks of it, they’re going to cook outdoors. We also called a chef maid (who claims to have been there from the start) to work with Mio with the outdoor cooking. Needless to say, our outdoor cooking was the most popular. We just made porridge in a big pot though… (ED: the term “炊き出し” is actually translated as “emergency food distribution” in one of the online dictionaries I checked, but it felt like “outdoor cooking” was more accurate in the sentence. Still, “emergency food distribution” definitely does make sense, so please keep that in mind.)
Well, we’re eating too, but there’s another problem.
“Master. I’ll work hard to take care of you. So take me with you.”
“For cooking… I can’t beat her, but you can count on me for cleaning and washing.”
“Ma-, make me your concubine. I don’t have any experience, but I’ll do my best.”
“It’s hard to ask to be his wife with such beautiful women with him… She’ll have to ask to be a concubine.”
It’s probably because I said “I’ll think about it for a while”. Since a while ago, about ten girls from the village have come towards me and appealed to me. Perhaps their parents have told them to appeal to me, so that I take them out of the village.
A: That’s correct.
So it seems. It may not be a badger game, but it doesn’t make me happy to be wooed with ulterior motives. By the way, Maria chases them away as soon as they come near. (ED: “badger game” explanation on Wikipedia)
“Master is popular. Are you pleased?”
“No, I’m not happy if they’re appealing with such desperate expressions.”
Mio tries to make a joke of it, but I shake my head and deny it.
“Unless you really like them, we can’t allow a calculating woman to approach Jin-sama.” (ED: “calculating” is actually meant to be “self-interested calculating”, but that’s too long and janky.)
Maria nods as well. The girls who approached me all looked awkward. Because it was clear they were pushing themselves too hard.
“Well, their appealing will be gone once the bandits disappear.”
“The bandit hero is an acquaintance of yours, isn’t he, Jin-kun?”
“I’ll certainly say that he’s an acquaintance. But I’ll get upset if you treat him like he’s my friend…”
“That’s quite a statement, coming from master.”
“Ah. But that Sano guy had a very bad reputation, didn’t you know that, Sakura?”
I’m sure he was pretty infamous at school. Well, the really bad ones don’t get infamous that easily… In that sense, Sano is a low-ranked villain.
“I didn’t have any friends whom I could hear about others’ reputations from… There wasn’t any way for me to hear about others’ reputations…”
“…sorry.”
It’s difficult to talk about the previous world with Sakura. That’s strange. Normally, it’s supposed to be that she’s the best person to talk with about our home world…
